Princess Toadstool's Turn
by bemj11
Summary: Princess Toadstool finds herself on an adventure with new allies and old enemies, on a quest to save both Mushroom Kingdom and Koopa Land. Chapter twelve. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nothing from the realm of Nintendo even remotely belongs to me, nor do I claim it does.

Uno:

Peach frowned as her friend sat down across from her. Anna looked as if she hadn't gotten any sleep these past couple of days.

"Morning." the young magikoopa yawned, oblivious to her companion's concern.

"Morning." Peach replied. "Is everything all right? You look tired." Exhausted was probably a better word for it.

Anna shrugged. "I haven't been sleeping well. I keep having these dreams."

Peach stifled a groan. "You mean like the ones you keep having right before we have some kind of confrontation with Bowser and his people?"

Anna nodded. "Last night was the third night in a row that I've had them."

"But nothing's happened yet." Peach suggested hopefully. "Maybe nothing will."

"I hope you're right." Anna grumbled in reply. "I've had enough of those people." The last time they had had a run in with any of Bowser's people, Anna had ended up being disowned by her family, courtesy of Kamek himself, from what Peach had heard. The whole ordeal had left its mark on Anna, but Peach had no idea how to help her friend, or if she even could.

"I just don't understand why I'm seeing these things." Anna complained.

"What do you mean?" Peach asked.

"Well, some magikoopa have been known to have the sight, that it, the ability to see into the past, present, and future, but it is always passed down through the family. The most it can skip is seventeen generations before it dies out of the line."

"Okay." Peach wasn't sure what the problem was.

Anna sighed. "So I'm eighteenth from the last person with the sight on mom's side. Neither mom, Kammy or Kamek ever had it, they were tested for it as children; and dad's side never did had it."

"So it couldn't be the sight?" Peach asked hesitantly. Anna knew it couldn't be, she realized, but suspected it was anyway.

"I don't know." Anna rplied, and the two were silent.

"So what were your dreams about, then?" Peach asked after a minute or two. "Sighted or not, you seem to see trouble coming through them."

"The first one was three nights ago." Anna replied, trying to bring back every detail. There hadn't been much at a time.

A magikoopa, robed in purple, was bent over a desk, searching through the scrolls, books, and who knew what else, trying to find something. The sound of approaching footsteps resounded in the hall, and she jumped. The footsteps receded, and muttering she resumed her search.

At last, she must have found what she sought, for she straightened triumphantly, shoving something into one of the pockets in her robes. She turned to leave the room, but, changing her mind at the last second, darted back and removed a second item from the desk. Then she left the room, locking the door behind her.

A magikoopa in blue stood before the council, his back straight, his hands clasped neatly, his jaw clenched. A word was pronounced: guilty. He turned to glare at a magikoopa in purple.

A magikoopa stood before none other than King Koopa, bowing with great flourish. King Koopa raised an eyebrow; he was impressed by the stranger. They spoke, but nothing was discernable. King Koopa laughed, and the stranger bowed again. He stood, and the embroidery on his robes seemed familiar. His robes were a deep blue, hemmed with green, the symbols on his robes done in blood red.

The stranger excused himself, and left with a magikoopa in purple following closely behind.

A magikoopa in black stood before King Koopa. King Koopa was furious, snarling, practically breathing fire. The magikoopa in black answered a question, and started to bow.

King Koopa growled and struck at the magikoopa. He turned, but not quickly enough, and the impact sent him to the ground. He drew himself up, slowly, and with a shake of his head excused himself. He walked briskly out of the room.

"Hmm." Was all Peach could think of to say as a mushroom guard approached her rather nervously.

"Princess?" He said, bowing as he spoke.

"What is it?" She asked, exchanging a glance with Anna. Was this what the dreams were warning them of?

"A disturbance. In one of the villages. The guard have a prisoner, but they want someone to deal with it immediately."

Peach sighed, "And father is busy. Have Toad meet us at the entrance to the castle." She turned to her friend. "Anna , are you with me?"

Anna nodded. "Of course, princess."

"Peach." She corrected. It just reminded her too much of Kamek to be addressed that way by Anna. Besides, this was her friend, and Peach didn't feel formality appropriate in this case.

Anna smiled. "Peach."

Toad met them at the gates, and they set off to the village.

"I heard, rumor, of course, Peach, that it was a magikoopa." Toad said softly as they traveled. "Whoever it is, it's got the guard scared."

Anna frowned. "It would have to be allied with Bowser. None of the neutral magikoopa would cause trouble. They go out of their way to avoid it." Neutral meaning, of course, that they were not in Bowser's employ.

"Who then?" Peach asked.

"They would have to be under orders." Toad suggested. "The top magikoopa under Bowser wouldn't have been caught." He meant, of course, Kamek and Kammy.

"And no magikoopa in his right mind would enter the mushroom kingdom without orders." Anna added. "Not if they worked for Bowser."

"Something odd is going on, then." Toad noted. "We should be careful."

"Agreed." Anna said as they reached the village.

A wary toadstool led them to what seemed to be an inn of sorts, though not one of very high class. Guards stood on either side of the door, bowing to Peach as they allowed her to pass.

One of the guards broke away from a group in the corner and hurried up to her as she entered the inn. "He started a fight with a koopa paratroopa twice his size. At least, that's what we were told. A goomba came running for us, and by the time we got here, the crowd was turning nasty, and the paratroopa was no where to be seen."

"The koopa paratroopa is gone?" Peach asked. Odd.

The guard nodded.

"Where is the goomba?" Was her next question. The guard led her to a goomba who was watching the gathering in the corner nervously. It jumped and let out a squeak as it noticed them. Peach smile reassuringly. "Hello."

The goomba was a rather small one. "H-Hello." He bobbed in the goomba equivalent of a bow.

"The guard said we have you to thank for avoiding a nasty mess here." Peach said, keeping her voice soft and friendly. The goomba nodded uncertainly. "Did you see what happened?"

The goomba swallowed nervously. "The magikoopa and his friend came in and sat down in the corner over there." He nodded to where the guards were. "The paratroopa was passing by him when suddenly the magikoopa went ballistic on him. He blasted the paratroopa with some spell or other, and he fell to the floor, writhing. I left for help as someone ran to help the paratroopa."

Peach glanced at Anna, who was frowning at the thought of a magikoopa going ballistic for no reason, then at Toad, who was frowning at the missing pieces of the story.

"Thank you." She said. To the guard she said, "I'll see to the magikoopa now." He nodded, and led her over to where the crowd of guards stood uneasily. They separated for her to reveal a magikoopa robed in black sitting at a booth, his hands cuffed with some metal that seemed to glow slightly.

"Magic blockers." Anna muttered. "The black robes indicate banishment by the council."

Peach frowned. Something seemed rather familiar about this magikoopa.

He frowned as one of the guards jerked him up to stand in the presence of the princess. He was small for a magikoopa, she realized, though his bearing almost kept you from noticing. He was having trouble keeping the steady, indifferent pose that he held, she realized.

"You may sit." She said, but he merely looked at her in reply until the same guard that had pulled him up gave him a rough downward shove. Peach frowned. "That is enough." She told the guard sternly.

"He's a magikoopa." The guard hissed.

Peach turned to Anna. "I suppose that makes it okay then, doesn't it, Anna?"

Anna bowed ever so slightly. "Of course it does, princess."

"Peach." The princess corrected.

"Peach." Anna fought back a smile.

The guard shifted uncomfortably. "Begging your pardon, princess."

Peach smiled. "Of course." Then she turned to address the magikoopa. "I have half of the story, but I'm interested in what your side is. What happened?" She hoped she sounded friendly rather than threatening.

He simply looked at her. He would not speak, Peach realized. She could do what she wished, but he would not speak.

She frowned, then turned to the guard. "Where is the one who was with him?" That got a response from the magikoopa. He flinched, ever so slightly.

A guard reached under a table and something started shrieking. "Let me go! Let me go!" The shout was followed by a string of words foreign to Peach.

"High Koopa." Anna hissed. "An ancient language."

The guard dragged out a small koopa that was struggling frantically to get loose. "I didn't do anything! Let me go! Stupid-" Again he trailed off into the same language.

They would hurt the small thing if it did not stop struggling, Peach realized. "Hush." She said softly, hopefully kindly. "They won't hurt you if you stop fighting them."

Miraculously, he froze, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Did you see what happened between your friend and a koopa paratroopa?" A flicker in his eyes said he did. "Would you tell me, please?"

He opened his mouth, but was interrupted a shout from the magikoopa. One of the guards hit him for it, but the koopa closed his mouth, his eyes darting from the magikoopa to Peach and back.

"It was a command to be silent." Anna translated in a whisper. "A familiar order for silence rather than formal, too."

The koopa turned to stare at Anna, then back at the other magikoopa. Peach frowned, wondering what was going on here. Something odd was happening, and she had no idea what.

She had a banished magikoopa, a small koopa who obeyed him, and a missing koopa paratroopa. She had half of the story, and wasn't likely to get anymore. What on earth was she supposed to do?

She wasn't given time to decide. A loud noise that sounded like an explosion set both the small koopa and the magikoopa into action. The koopa bit the guard and ran forward to latch onto Peach's skirt with one hand and Anna's robes with the other.

At the same instant, the magikoopa disappeared with a pop! only to reappear in front of Peach.

As Toad grabbed the magikoopa, Peach wondered how he was doing magic if the handcuffs were supposed to block magic. The magikoopa didn't bother shaking Toad off, grabbing Peach rather roughly.

A she tried to throw him off, noise erupted from everywhere. Shouting, crying, laughing, and the sounds of things being destroyed filled the air. Peach wondered what was going on.

Then, quite suddenly, they were somewhere else, and Peach felt as if she were going to throw up.

Toad was by Peach's side in an instant, looking rather nauseous himself. Anna, however, grabbed the other magikoopa by the front of his robes and shoved him backwards against a tree. The small koopa merely groaned as he collapsed into a sitting position.

"Are you okay, Peach?" Toad asked.

Peach nodded shakily. "I think so. Are you?" Toad nodded. "Anna?"

"I'm fine, no thanks to this stupid lunkhead."

Peach had never seen Anna this angry. Or use such rough language. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Are you nauseous? Dizzy?" Anna asked instead of answering.

"Well, yes, but-"

"Everyone is. Because this moron decided it would be a good idea to use a transporting spell on all five of us at once and nearly botched it. We came close to not reappearing at all, or worse, only partly reappearing." She turned her attention back to the other magikoopa. "Why on earth would you try something so absolutely stupid? You could have killed us all! What were you thinking?"

The magikoopa took a deep breath. "I was thinking that it might be preferable to risk a faulty transportation spell than to risk running into those attacking the village." He said dryly. "I found the idea of death by transportation failure the more appealing option. I do regret not being able to warn you before hand."

Anna's hands fell to her sides. "Kamek!" She exclaimed, stepping away from him and retreating to Peach's side.

Peach frowned. Was this Kamek? Why had he been banished? That was what Anna had said the black meant. Why had he been in the village? Who was his companion then? What on earth was going on? Peach was distracted by a horrible feeling in her stomach.

Peach stood and excused herself. Toad and Anna gave her worried glances, but let her go.

She returned after a few minutes, her stomach rather emptier, to absolute silence. Toad and Anna sat together, trying to ignore Kamek and the small koopa, who had sat down by the tree.

"I do apologize for the inconvenience, princess." Kamek said as she returned, as if guessing what had happened. That was definitely Kamek, but what?

She waved the apology aside. Apparently she was going to have to be the peace maker here. "I seem not to be the only person affected. What caused it?"

"Trying to overload a magic blocker and transport five people a large distance with little warning is never easy." He answered.

"What were we avoidng?" Peach asked.

Kamek shook his head. "I will not speak his name here." The small koopa whimpered.

Peach caught the puzzled expression on Anna's face, but the younger magikoopa had apparently decided she wasn't speaking to her uncle.

Peach tried another question. "Who is that?" She gestured towards the koopa.

The koopa grinned, and his shape shifted from that of a small green shelled koopa to that of a familiar koopaling.

"Iggy!" Peach smiled back at the koopaling.

"Hi, princess-Peach-uh-" He looked to Kamek for help.

"Princess is appropriate." Kamek commented.

Peach eyed Iggy. "And Peach is better. Remember?"

"Right!" Said Iggy.

"We need to move." Said Kamek suddenly, rising to his feet.

Iggy looked worried. "They're tracking us?" He asked.

"Who?" Peach asked, standing as well.

"The council." Was the only explanation he offered as he looked up at the sky, then picked a direction to travel in. Iggy followed.

"Come on." Peach said to Toad and Anna. "Without him, we're lost."

That made sense, so the two stood and joined the rest of the group.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nothing from the realm of Nintendo even remotely belongs to me, nor do I claim it does.

Dos:

"Where are we anyway?" Peach asked. Kamek shrugged in reply. "You don't know?" She asked incredulously.

Kamek frowned. "We are not where I was trying to get us." He offered.

Iggy looked up at the princess. "We're lost." He explained. "Sort of."

"Sort of?" Toad asked. Apparently he didn't mind talking to the koopaling.

"Well, we're in no man's land between Koopa Land and Mushroom Kingdom." Replied Iggy. "Somewhere. South-ish, because there aren't mountains. It's just flat forest."

"Which direction are we headed?" Kamek asked the koopaling, stopping to look around.

Iggy looked around as well. "Um, north?" Kamek waited. "North-west? More north than west?"

"Right." Kamek replied, and continued walking. The others followed.

"The only problem with getting lost with your teacher that's Kamek," Iggy complained, "is everything has a lesson, and you never know when he's going to pull one out of nowhere.

"I thought you wanted to come." Kamek retorted.

"I did. But I didn't know navigation was going to be included in it. And don't ask me to calculate any heights or distances. You know I wasn't paying attention in class that day."

"I expect you to pay attention-"

"Even if my arm's been ripped off and I'm bleeding to death and Larry and Lemmy are dividing up my stuff." Iggy retorted. "Blah."

Kamek was silent.

"I'm just kidding with him." Iggy whispered, noticing Peach's frown. "He knows that. He does have a sense of humor, you know, whatever else he pretends."

"Really?" Toad asked skeptically.

"My eyesight is what is poor, Ignatius." Kamek told the koopaling.

"I know." Iggy said. "He means he can hear everything we said."

"Ignatius?" Peach asked. Iggy scowled. "I like Iggy, and everyone calls me Iggy. Except for him." He glared at Kamek.

Peach shook her head. This was a bit bizarre really. She dropped back to walk beside Anna. "Are you all right?" She asked.

Anna sighed. "I'm fine, I guess. I just- I don't think he's up to any good." Peach knew who _he _was. "And I don't feel like being sociable to him."

"That's fine." Peach replied. "I understand. Someone has to, though."

Anna nodded. "I know, someone has to talk to him, and it might as well be you. I understand, and if you think I'd be angry with you for it, that's just silly."

"The thought had crossed my mind." Peach said with a small laugh.

As conversation turned to include Anna, Kamek went quiet. Apparently he had no desire to speak with her either.

They trudged on for several hours before Toad asked Kamek, "Where are we going?"

"Northwest." Was the reply. Anna rolled her eyes.

"I meant, what is our destination?" Toad tried again.

"Northwest." The answer remained the same. Anna muttered something under her breath about ordering minions around.

Toad gave up, and turned to ask Iggy if he was still rolling around in mud puddles.

"Of course!" Was Iggy's reply. Whatever else, it seemed as if the koopaling thought they were just on some nature hike. He certainly didn't seem the slightest bit worried.

Peach was. She was out in the middle of no-man's land with a toadstool, a koopaling, and two magikoopa, neither of whom were kindly disposed towards one another.

They stopped around sunset for the evening and made a makeshift sort of camp, Anna grumbling about being dragged into the most desolate part of no-man's land possible while trying to start a fire, Toad muttering about rain during the night, and Iggy getting in everyone's way.

Then Peach realized she had missed someone. Where was Kamek? She scanned the area, then relaxed as she saw him standing a short distance from the rest of the group, staring into the forest around them.

Peach wasn't sure what made her do it, but she walked over to stand beside him, staring out into the darkness of the night forest. He sighed after a moment, and Peach wondered if he knew she was there.

"We are aiming for a magikoopa village." He said softly. "You have been there before."

Peach frowned. "Why?" She asked, her voice equally soft. "Why are we going there?"

He was silent, and Peach wondered if he were going to answer her or avoid the question as he had earlier. Then, "There is trouble brewing, for everyone. Koopa Land has fallen. Mushroom Kingdom as well, I fear. The magikoopa need to be warned."

"About what? What's causing this?" Peach asked. She wanted answers. She wanted to know what was going on.

Kamek turned to look directly at her. "Kammy, in part. I lie at fault as well." The evasive answer was no comfort. He turned to look back into the forest. "The others will be concerned for you." He said. Was that a dismissal? Not necessarily, Peach decided, more of an observation.

"Am I in danger?" She asked curiously.

He shook his head. "No more than anyone else here. And not from me."

Peach wondered at the implications behind those two statements. "Are we in danger?" She asked. "Out here?"

"If the council catches up with us, they will not be interested in you. If any one else comes, we will know before they reach us." A wind started up, and Peach was almost certain he shivered as he watched the forest.

"What are you looking for?" She asked.

"You should get some rest, princess." He said instead of answering.

"So should you." She retorted, belatedly realizing she was smarting off an enemy, and a very dangerous one at that.

Was that a smile? It was gone before she could be certain. She turned away to find a place to sleep. It was late, after all, and she was tired. She found a spot against a tree and somehow managed to fall asleep.

She awoke sometime in the night to the feeling of something leaning against her. Her eyes flew open and she tensed, but relaxed when she realized it was only Iggy. He must have gotten cold, or lonely. Or both. She looked over to see that Kamek now sat, leaning against a tree as he continued to watch the forest.

If he had slept, it had been little, Peach thought as she groggily forced her tired and sore body to get up. She could hear the groans of Anna and Toad as they got up.

Where was Iggy? Peach looked around, worried for the koopaling. Had he wondered off this morning? Surely he had better sense than that. Why would he have wondered off?

And suddenly, there he was, practically beaming as he came back with his arms full. "Breakfast!" He cried. "I got fruits, and berries, and nuts, see! And none of it's poisonous." That last was directed at Kamek. "I can tell the difference." He said to Peach.

He must have been telling the truth, since no one ended up sick from the meal. It was delicious, too, though that may have simply been because they were ravenous. Kamek ate less than the rest of them, Peach noticed, but that may have been normal for him.

They set out again, silently this time, given that no one was really awake enough to be inclined to talk, except for Iggy, who was telling Toad about the time he managed to get mud in his room, most of the halls, and even the dining area back home, while Toad nodded sleepily, not really listening.

"And then Miss K said, 'What do you think you're doing you little-" Another slip into some other language, one that managed to get a chuckle from Anna.

Iggy jumped, then seemed to realize it was okay, and continued, turning to include Anna in his audience.

"And of course, Dad was right behind her, and he didn't appreciate that at all, and cleared his throat, and she about jumped out of her boots! So he said, 'If the mess is so disturbing for you, Kammy, why don't you grab a mop and bucket and get rid of it?' So she ended up with janitor duty! It was great."

Peach moved closer to Kamek. "If the council is looking for you, why are we heading straight for them?" She asked, her voice low.

Kamek didn't respond immediately. "Other things are more important." He said at last.

Peach shook her head. Some of his answers might as well have been no answer at all. "Why is the council looking for you?"

Another smile? No humor in it, though, Peach realized. If it had indeed been there. "They are looking for me because I was performing magic." Peach frowned, and he continued as if sensing her confusion. "Anna told you I had been banished by the council. Once banished, a magikoopa is forbidden to use magic. He is marked," he waved his hand vaguely, and Peach saw the odd symbol in black on the back of it, "and if he performs any magic, the council will know, and will deal with him accordingly."

"Why did they banish you?" Peach flinched as she asked. She was getting too far into his personal business. She had no right to ask that.

"I defied the council one time to many." Said Kamek grimly. "Let us leave it at that."

Peach nodded, relieved that he had not been offended, though she had never seen him so, now that she thought about it.

He stiffened, suddenly. "Get down!" He hissed, dropping into the brush. Peach followed suit immediately, Iggy too. The other two obeyed less eagerly.

Something grabbed her, and she let out a shriek. Toad started towards her only to be grabbed by a shy guy. Anna burst forth, knocking a koopa out of her way, but stopped to stare at the figure that held Peach.

An evil laugh echoed behind her, and she tried to turn to see what held her. Suddenly, ropes sprang from nowhere to bind her and her friends.

"No!" Iggy sprang from his hiding place, roaring as fiercely as a koopaling possibly could. Again Peach heard that cruel laughter.

A strange creature stepped around her gracefully. It walked upright, and seemed to be made of fire. It grabbed the koopaling, who let out a shriek of pain.

"Leave the kid alone!" Toad snapped. He had taking a liking to the little koopaling, Peach realized.

The creature threw the koopaling aside, and he lay still where he fell. Then it turned slowly to face Toad.

A fireball formed in its already fiery hand. The creature flung it at Toad, who yelped as it hit him.

Stupidly, Peach addressed the creature. "What do you want?" She asked. It turned to face her, studying her curiously. It extended a hand as if to touch her. She flinched, trying to move away from it, but it was no good.

She could feel the heat it emanated. She closed her eyes, wishing this were just some sort of dream.

"Kalora." Peach heard someone say, and the heat lessened somewhat. She opened her eyes to see the creature staring at Kamek, who had stepped forward and into sight.

It stood, waiting for something. But what? Kamek stood before it, calmly, waiting as well.

"Kamek." The creature hissed, its voice high and full of venom.

Kamek flinched at the sound of his name, and the creature laughed and charged him. He threw up a shield of what looked like water, and the creature drew back.

As it realized it was unharmed, it laughed again and advanced. "You will die fool." It hissed, and lunged towards him.

Kamek stepped to the side. The creature roared, and the flames it was made of flared. Kamek muttered something and an icy blue mist appeared. Flames and ice hit halfway between them, causing steam to fill the air.

The creature laughed, and a fiery arm knocked Kamek backwards. "Fool. As long as my heart burns, I cannot be defeated.

Kamek struggled to his feet and stood his ground as the creature approached him. As it reached out to grab him, he lunged forward, plunging his arms into the creature's fiery chest.

It stared at him, then with an arm threw him backwards again, and summoned a ball of fire in its hands. It raised its arms to throw the ball of fire at Kamek-

And stopped. The ball flickered, then disappeared entirely. The creature stared wildly at Kamek. "What have you done?" It hissed.

Kamek stared back. "I have defeated you." He said simply.

The creature shrieked as its flames began to flicker and die. Peach watched in horror until all that was left was-

A piece of ice. Kamek struggled to his feet and stood over it. He shook his head, then turned his attention to letting the others loose.

"What did you do to it?" Peach asked. He shrugged.

"That was its heart!" Toad realized, taking a closer look. "As long as its heart burned, it lived. You froze its heart!"

That reminded Peach. "Are you okay?" She asked Toad. Anna gave him a looking over.

"He needs a healer." Anna said. "The koopaling, too." She said, picking him up gently. "And soon."

A pop! distracted Peach from taking the conversation farther. She wheeled around to see six koopalings appear out of nowhere!

They giggled, and as one of them slashed at her she realized they were attacking!

Someone jerked her back just in time, and dragged her backwards, muttering under his breath the whole time. Peach thought about fighting, but whoever it was _was_ rescuing her from the koopalings. Why had they attacked? Surely they wouldn't attack their own, but she had seen one of them even go for Iggy.

Her rescuer, who turned out to be Kamek, let go of her, but kept moving, and looking back, Peach understood why. There were two koopalings behind them! She followed Kamek until he seemed suddenly to disappear, but as she was jerked backwards and to the left, she realized he had merely slipped out of sight.

They were silent, save for rapid breaths and beating hearts until they could no longer see or hear the koopalings. Then they made their way carefully back to the others, not daring to speak, lest they be overheard by any of the other koopalings.

There was no sign of the others. Peach looked around the area for some clue of what had happened to the others while Kamek stood in silence.

"Where are they?" Peach asked at last. "Do you think-" She couldn't finish the question.

Kamek shook his head, then looked around, studying the ground. "They managed to stay together." He said softly. "They headed this way. One of them was injured by one of the koopalings." He walked along as he spoke. Peach followed. "Here," he said, stopping, "they teleported. Someone must have needed immediate care."

Peach took a deep breath. "So what to we do?"

"Head for the village ourselves." Kamek replied.

"Can you-" Anything else she might have said was forgotten as Kamek wordlessly sank to the ground. "Are you all right?" She rushed towards him.

He nodded wordlessly. "Forgive me, princess." He said as he started to rise.

"It's fine." Peach said, putting out a hand to keep him from standing. "Just sit for a bit." He nodded, and sat back down with a sigh. "What's wrong?" She asked.

She didn't really expect an answer, and was surprised when he spoke. "I have been less than well of late, and Kalora did not help."

"Kalora?" Peach asked. "The fire thing?"

He nodded. "She fell in love. Pledged everything to the one she loved. He betrayed her and used her pledge to turn her into that creature, bound to serve him until her death."

"Who was he?" She asked as he fell silent.

"Who?" He asked. "Her love?" Peach nodded, and Kamek sighed. "He was a magikoopa, and a very powerful one as well. It is said he nearly destroyed all life before he was imprisoned."

"Oh." Peach said. "If she was his servant, then-"

"He is loose again, yes." Kamek finished for her. "He is the one I did not name earlier. It is said he knows when someone speaks his name, and I would rather not meet him again anytime soon." He stood, then. "We should move on. I cannot teleport us anywhere at present. My apologies, princess."

"None needed." Said Peach. "Let's go."

They traveled slowly, for Kamek's sake. He seemed genuinely weary, and this worried Peach. He also seemed less capable of hiding his thoughts.

After several hours they came to a stream. Peach drank, as did Kamek, then washed some of the dirt from her face and arms. Refreshed, she looked over to see Kamek with his sleeves rolled up, his arms in the water.

Of course. He had reached into the creature's body to freeze her heart. Of course his arms would have been burnt. Her slip was still clean. In strips it would do well for bandaging.

Peach expected him to argue as she soaked the strips in the stream and took one of his arms. He watched silently as she bandaged first one arm, then the other. "You should have said something." She scolded. "Burns are nothing to be ignored." He shook his head, but it was in amusement. "What?"

"You do this well." He said, and Peach was certain that was not what he had been thinking. She let it go.

"Any other hidden injuries I should know about? Or are you going to wait until you collapse again?"

That was definitely almost a smile. "Fair enough." He said, lifting one sleeve high enough to reveal slash marks across his arm. Peach cleaned them and bandaged them as well.

"Why did they attack us?" She asked. "They even went after Iggy."

The almost smile disappeared. "It was said he had the ability to bend others to his will, to force them to do his bidding. It would seem this was not simply legend."

"He's controlling them." Peach said, horrified. "And you said you thought he had taken Mushroom Kingdom too." He nodded. "What about the other magikoopa? Can he control them?"

"They may be able to fight him, if they are not taken by surprise."

"Which is why we are headed for the village." Peach said. "Does Anna know? About him?"

Kamek shook his head. "She does not."

They fell into silence.

Kamek stood, if unsteadily. "We should move on." He said.

"Perhaps you should rest a bit longer." Peach protested.

He shook his head. "I will not feel better with the passing of time, princess." Did that mean he would only get worse? What was wrong with him?

They resumed walking, continuing until nightfall. "How much farther is it?" Peach asked as they stopped to catch their breath.

"Another day's journey, perhaps." Kamek replied. He seemed to be shorter of breath than she was.

"Should we rest?" Peach asked. She was exhausted, but if he was willing to go on, she would.

Kamek nodded. "We both need some sleep."

They settled for the night, gathering fallen branches for a fire to ward off the chill of the night.

Weary, Kamek tried to start a fire without magic, and was immensely unsuccessful. He frowned, then straightened up to look at her.

"What?"

"Princess, did you wonder at all these past days how I knew you were behind me?"

Peach frowned. "I guess I thought you had heard me or something." He shook his head. "Then how?" She demanded.

"I saw you." He said.

"You saw me? What's so surprising about that?"

He laughed. It was unsettling. "Allow me to correct myself. I saw your aura."

"My what?" Peach demanded.

"Aura. You have and aura. Plants and animals and people have auras, and magic users have their own distinct aura."

"So you saw my aura. What does that mean?"

"It was pink."

"And?"

"And people without magic have a grey aura. Animals have a brown aura, plants have green auras. As I said, yours was pink."

"So…" Peach had no idea where this was going.

"Close your eyes." Said Kamek.

Confused, Peach did.

"What do you see?"

"Nothing."

She felt his hands take hers. "Don't fight me." He said, and she felt a presence in her mind. "Now what do you see?" He asked, and Peach gasped.

"I can see you. Sort of. You're blue." He chuckled.

"Look out. Keep your eyes closed." She obeyed, and saw the green silhouettes that were trees and the grass.

"Wow." She breathed. "But what does it mean?" She asked, opening her eyes.

"It means that you are capable of magic yourself." Kamek explained.

"But I'm not a magikoopa." Peach argued.

"It has been known to happen, rarely."

"So, what's your point then?" Peach asked. Then she realized. He can't get the fire to light, and it's too cold out here for both of us. He wants me to light it. "You want to teach me?" She asked.

He nodded. "We shall start with the fire." He nodded. "Call it a practical lesson. Close your eyes." He said, releasing her hands, moving one hand to rest on her arm. He was guiding her, she realized. "Picture the firewood in your mind. You remember what it looks like."

She did. "Okay."

"Hold on to that picture, but now visualize a fire in your mind."

"Okay."

"Do you still have the firewood?"

Oops. "No."

"It's okay. Start again." This time she had them both.

"Okay. Got it." Peach could feel herself grinning.

"Now comes the hard part. You must control your fire, since we do not wish to end up inside it."

"How can we contain it?" Peach asked.

"How indeed? What can contain fire?"

"What about an invisible wall or something. If I can make a fire, couldn't I make walls to contain it?"

"You could."

Peach tried to visualize walls around her firewood. She ended up picturing a the firewood in a box that slowly faded from sight, leaving the top open so the fire would be able to breathe.

"Good. Now merge your fire with your firewood, keeping it inside the boundaries."

Peach did as told, and started when she heard a crackling, her eyes flying open. There, in front of them, was her fire. "I did it!" She exclaimed triumphantly.

"You did very well." Kamek replied, looking rather pleased himself.

"Well, I couldn't have without your help." Peach said self-consciously.

Kamek smiled. "Get some rest."

"You too." Peach replied, laying down. "You need it."


	3. Chapter 3

Tres:

Peach yawned as she sat up and stretched the next morning. Kamek sat leaning against a tree. "Good morning." She said, getting up.

He started, and Peach realized she had awakened him. "Sorry."

Kamek his head. "We should move on soon anyway." He said.

"Right." Peach said. She watched worriedly as he stood stiffly, and slowly turned to look at the fire. Her fire.

"It lasted the night." Kamek commented. "They usually do not, at first."

"Oh." Peach blushed at the unspoken praise.

"How are you going to put it out?" He had joined her, and placed his hand on her arm as before. As before, she felt his magic, a soft blue.

Peach thought for a minute. "If I just put the lid on my box, that would eliminate the oxygen flow. That should put it out."

Kamek turned to glance at her.

"What?"

"Usually the first attempt is to douse it with water." He said. "I am surprised that you thought differently."

"It seemed better this way." Peach _had _thought of water, but hadn't thought it a good idea to try summoning water from wherever when it would be easier to simply smother it.

"Go ahead, then" Kamek said, and when the fire had died, they set out for the village once more.

The remainder of their journey was spent in silence, and Peach wondered what she had done to get herself into this mess. Here she was, walking through a forest in no-man's land with Kamek himself, hoping to catch up with Anna, Toad, and Iggy at the magikoopa village, warn the magikoopa that some evil magikoopa from long ago had been released and had conquered Koopa Land and possibly the Mushroom kingdom, while Kamek tried to avoid the council and they all tried to avoid anyone who might be under this evil magikoopa's control, and to top things off, Kamek, her only protection out here, was injured and who knew what else.

Peach shook her head. If this was what adventures were like, she much preferred being captured and waiting in safety for someone else to save the day.

That thought made her smile, and almost laugh. To think she would prefer being kidnapped to anything!

They slowed down as they neared the village, and Kamek frowned.

"What?" She asked, but he merely shook his head. She followed him as he warily entered the village, and was surprised to find it silent.

A thorough search revealed the village to be completely devoid of life. There was not a soul to be seen, no trace of the vanished magikoopa or any of Peach's other traveling companions.

Peach rejoined Kamek, who was studying the ground near the village center. "They were taken." Kamek said without looking up. "Anna and the others were here when it happened. They were taken by the Toadstool guard, to your castle."

"Then Mushroom Kingdom _has_ been taken." Peach murmured.

"I am afraid so." Kamek said, straightening up." Peach could just barely make out some sort of symbol etched into the ground.

"How do you know this?" She asked. "Through that?" She pointed at the symbol.

Kamek nodded. "Anna's mother left the sign. She must have known we were coming and hoped we would find it. We used to communicate like this when we were younger."

"Oh." Peach said. "So how do we get to Mushroom Castle?" She asked.

Kamek frowned. "They have a two day head start on us." He said, scuffing the symbol with his boot. "Teleporting is out of the question."

"Then we'll have to walk." Peach noted in dismay. It was a long trip, and both of them were tired.

"Unless we use the pipes." Kamek corrected her.

"Pipes?" Peach asked.

"Warp pipes." Kamek explained. "Unless you know what you are doing, it can be dangerous."

Peach gulped. "_Do_ we know what we're doing?" She asked nervously.

"I have spent time in the sewers in the past." Kamek replied. "It has been a while, however."

"How long?" Peach asked.

Kamek looked thoughtful. "It has been, I believe, more than forty years."

That was longer than Peach had been alive. Peach swallowed nervously, then said, "What are we waiting for, then?" She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.

Kamek led her back out of the village and into the forest, no longer following any recognizable path, but moving confidently and without hesitation.

He turned without warning and stepped into a thick clump of bushes. After a second of doubt, Peach followed, and stepped through to find him waiting for her by a rather large, green pipe sticking out of the ground.

Peach stared at the pipe apprehensively. _That_ was the last place she wanted to go, but it wasn't as if she had much of a choice, she realized. She took a deep breath. "Let's go, then." She said, and Kamek led the way into the dark underground.

Peach found herself standing in complete darkness. She could hear a faint dripping in the distance, and an odd rustling off in the darkness somewhere, but could see absolutely nothing. She felt panic rising in her chest. She wasn't normally afraid of the dark, but this was a bit much.

"Kamek?" She asked, her voice high and shaky in the dark. She jumped when he replied.

"Here, princess." His voice was calm, if weary. "I ask your forgiveness. I had forgotten it would be this dark."

Peach forced herself to take a slow, deep breath. "Right." She nearly squeaked. "Now what?"

She felt something brush against her arm, and jumped again before she realized that it was only Kamek. In the past, Peach would have laughed at the thought that she might ever find his presence comforting, but it was.

"Hold out your other hand." He said, and Peach obeyed. "Palm upward. Now picture in your mind a small sphere of light."

"Okay."

"Now picture it resting, still lit, smooth and cool in your hand." Peach did as he asked, and after a moment's struggle with her thoughts, felt something hard and cool resting in her hand, and a moment later, was nearly blinded by the light it emitted.

"Did I do that?" Peach gasped. She could see the magikoopa smile, apparently amused by her surprise.

"Of course." He said. "Follow me."

For what felt like days, he led her through the winding maze that was the sewers. Peach soon grew disoriented, and many times wondered if they had not turned around more than once or were simply wandering in circles.

Kamek was silent, trying to remember the way, and several times stopped at a crossing of pipes or turnoff, as if not quite certain of the way. Once he stopped for so long that Peach began to wonder if they would ever make it out of the sewers, or if they would be forced to wander lost in the sewers for the rest of their lives. A growl in the distance made her wonder how long that would actually be.

As Peach was beginning to give up hope, Kamek disappeared into a pipe. Peach followed, and blinked as she was plunged without warning into the light of day.

Well, night, actually, Peach realized.

Disclaimer: By the way, I own none of this.


	4. Chapter 4

Cuatro:

"We will stop here for the night." Kamek said as they reached a fairly secluded area. "We are now ahead of them. Hopefully we will be able to intercept our companions before they reach the castle."

"How far ahead of them do you think we are?" Peach asked. Kamek did not answer right away, instead staring out into space. She wondered if he was aware that he was frowning.

"We will meet up with them around mid-morning." He said, his expression clearing. "I cannot be more specific than that."

Peach nodded. "Do you want me to start a fire again?" She asked as she realized he was shivering. She wondered at that, it felt a little cool to her, but warmer than it had been in the pipes.

"If you wish it." He replied absently, coming over to lay a hand on her arm. "Where shall we put it?"

Peach chose a place and concentrated, trying to remember how she had started the fire the night before. Just as she was about to give up, a fire crackled into existence right where she had chosen. Peach sighed. She felt exhausted.

"Excellent." He sounded amused.

"What?" She asked, tired and annoyed.

He frowned. "Are you aware that we forgot the firewood?" He asked.

Peach gaped at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you called a fire into existence without wood to use as fuel to sustain it." He clarified.

"Which means?" She asked, confused.

He merely looked at her. "What is sustaining the fire?" He asked.

Nothing, Peach realized. But something had to be. "Magic?" She guessed.

"Yes." Was his reply. Peach had expected something more dramatic after all that, she was disappointed.

She found she wasn't ready to sleep yet. In fact, she realized that as talkative as he had been lately, now might be a good opportunity to ask him some questions. He didn't seem particularly evasive lately.

"So." She said, and he waited. She wondered what to ask first. "You and Kammy and Anna are all related." That wasn't really a question. "You and Kammy and her mother all grew up together." That wasn't a question either. "What was that like?"

She didn't think he would actually answer her. He was silent, perhaps hoping she would leave him alone if he ignored her long enough.

But then that would have been rude. "It was interesting." He said at last, though that didn't tell Peach anything. She decided to move on.

"You disowned Anna." She heard the accusation in her voice.

He actually flinched. "I did." He replied wearily.

"And you got her mother to do so as well." She continued. He didn't react this time. "Why?"

He regarded her seriously from behind his thick lenses. "I don't really have to explain myself to you, princess." He said softly, and without any real anger. "Suffice it to say it was the only available option I could choose."

"She's been cast out from her family." Peach persisted, though she knew she probably shouldn't. "She's alone, now."

"She has you, now, princess." Kamek replied. "And she cares very much for you."

"I don't replace family." Peach replied. "And it doesn't change the fact that her own mother and uncle betrayed her in the same day. Two people she greatly respected turned their backs on her that day." Peach continued. "And I don't understand it. Surely you could have done something. She did what she thought you would have wanted, and you abandoned her."

Kamek regarded her coolly. "You think, then, princess, that I wanted her to help you escape?" He was as calm as if he were discussing the weather.

"I think you wanted her to do something. She was your student, and your niece. How could you do that to her?" Peach knew she was pushing her luck, but didn't care. She hated what he had done to her friend.

"I did what I could." Kamek said.

"You did what was best for you." Peach accused. "You weren't about to do anything that would jeopardize your position with Bowser. You-"

"My position was in jeopardy long before Anna came along." Kamek interrupted. His voice was so low she had to strain to hear it. "I did what I could to keep her safe without turning my back on others I am responsible for. I could not ignore those I am sworn to protect."

"Like Bowser?" Peach challenged.

"Like Ignatius." Kamek retorted, his voice still low but filled with tension. "I had hoped to keep him and his siblings safe during this."

Peach blinked. "You knew this was coming?" She asked.

"I knew something was coming. I knew it would put our world in danger." Kamek said with a sigh. "I did not realize I would be responsible."

"You?" Peach asked. "You did this?"

Kamek hesitated. It was the first time Peach had ever seen him do so. "In part, princess, yes." He admitted. "Though it was never my intention."

"Oh?" Peach asked.

"I knew what I was doing was dangerous and the potential for disaster, certainly." He continued. "But I trusted that it would be well, that all would work out for the best."

Peach frowned. "I don't understand."

Kamek sighed again. "For you to understand would take several long and complicated pieces of information."

I regarded him seriously. "We have all night." I pointed out.

"Very well, then." He agreed.

Disclaimer: By the way, I own none of this.


	5. Chapter 5

Cinco:

His is a name feared and hated by the magikoopa. He was possibly the most powerful magikoopa ever to live. He is the reason there is so much distrust between the lands, and so much distaste for magikoopa in general.

He nearly destroyed this world. His war left Valimet a wasteland; you know it No-Man's Land. He nearly wiped out the Koopa line and the entire race of magikoopa. His attack on the Mushroom Kingdom was equally devasting.

He had the power to influence the minds of those weaker than he. He built an army, and added to it as he went along. Those who opposed him or were strong enough to resist him were destroyed. He is the reason there is so much distrust and dislike for the magikoopa these days.

He is also the reason they are so scattered. The magikoopa fled to the hills when Valimet was wasted. They hid themselves to avoid persecution from all sides.

One magikoopa stood against him. He was one of the most powerful magikoopa of his time. He also had the sight, and knew he would defeat him. He also knew he did not have the strength or power to fight him and win, so he devised a spell that would trap him forever.

He took a stone tablet and covered it with runes, markings, and incantations. This would hold him and contain his strength. It would hold him forever, unless some fool uttered an incantation to negate any spells cast on the tablet.

The tablet was broken into six pieces, and the pieces were scattered abroad over the years. It was thought that it would be best to leave the tablets wherever they were, lost in oblivion.

Disclaimer: By the way, I own none of this. 


	6. Chapter 6

Seis:

"What was his name?" Peach asked at last, when Kamek had finished.

"Whose?" He asked. "The one who was imprisoned? We do not speak his name."

Peach frowned. "No." She said. "I meant the one who stopped him. What was his name?"

"Kamek." He said softly. "He was the last in our line known to have the sight."

"Seventeen generations ago." Peach recalled Anna's words about this sight.

"What?" He asked sharply.

Peach's eyes widened. "Anna said that it had been eighteen generations since someone in her line had the sight." She explained quickly. "But that was for her. For you it would be seventeen."

Kamek frowned. "She mentioned this to you? Why?"

Peach hesitated. She didn't want to betray her friend's trust. However, he was waiting for an answer. "She was trying to figure out how she could have the sight. But it had been eighteen generations, she said, since the last person with the sight." She sighed at her incomplete explanation. "She's been having dreams; not frequently, but every time she had one, we ended up having trouble with Koopa Land."

"What did she dream about? When did she have these dreams?" He asked sharply.

"You, mostly." Peach replied. "She had one before Iggy showed up at the castle, and another before we were kidnapped again, and three more before this all started. Why?"

"She may indeed have the sight, princess." Was Kamek's reply.

Peach frowned. "But wouldn't that mean that-"

"It would indeed, princess," he cut her off, "but we are getting off subject." He continued before she could even finish her thought.

Disclaimer: By the way, I own none of this.


	7. Chapter 7

"When I was your age," Kamek spoke softly into the night, "Koopa Land was in anarchy. There had been a war some fifty years before, a revolution. King Morton Koopa was dethroned and executed. The line was thought to have ended."

Peach interrupted. "Then how did Bowser-" Kamek sighed, and she silenced herself. She would not interrupt again, she promised.

"Koopa Land was in chaos, there was fighting and stealing and violence. And our own people, the maigkoopa, were already in danger of extinction. Difficulties with both Koopa Land and Mushroom Land made things worse. There were so few of us then, and so few still." He was silent for a moment, thinking.

"I was out in the wilderness when I found him. I had a tendency to wander farther from home than was considered wise, often in wild, empty places. I found him, abandoned, frightened, and completely helpless."

"Bowser!" Peach guessed. "You found him, and that's how all our troubles started!" She glared at Kamek, but he seemed unfazed. He merely waited for her to realize she had interrupted again. "Sorry." She said. It really _was_ ill-mannered of her.

"To understand why I did what I did you had to realize that Koopa Land was falling apart. The people needed a ruler, one that was strong, ruthless if need be, and someone who had a rightful claim to the throne and would stop the fighting. King Koopa did that. The magikoopa also have benefited from this, or were. They no longer lived in constant fear of destruction." He noticed as she bit down another question. "Yes, we have magic, Princess, and may use it to protect ourselves, but we are not invincible.

"I took the koopaling home, though I did not show my parents." He paused then. "Magikoopa are not considered adults until they have reached their thirties, you understand, though they do fully mature before then." He added as an aside. "I could not, however, hide him from my sister, Karina, Anna's mother. We discussed, I hesitate to use the term argued, what I thought I was doing. Eventually I made the decision to leave, and to raise the koopaling.

"I would not put my family in danger. Those of the royal family were supposed to have died out. To have aided one carried the death penalty. So I hid him, and raised him until he was of age to take his rightful place as king. I raised him to be cruel, yes, and strong willed, and everything else that was needed at the time.

"But the day is quickly coming when his way will no longer be needed. Things have gotten out of hand of late; I cannot be everywhere at once. But I had hoped that one of King Koopa's children would be right to take the throne after King Koopa. Ignatius represented that hope. He, of all his siblings, is capable of looking past the obvious, and he demonstrates a care for those around him.

"King Koopa was necessary for the survival of Koopa Land, and the magikoopa. But his time is passing."

Peach sat and stared at the magikoopa, trying to understand what he had just explained to her.

Disclaimer: Mario, Peach, Kamek, whatever, all that stuff doesn't belong to me. Okay? Okay. Good.


	8. Chapter 8

Abruptly, Kamek jerked his head. "Forgive me, Princess." He said softly. "We are out of time." Whether or not he had given her all the infomation he felt necessary or not, Peach did not know. What she did know was that morning had come while they talked, and apparently the people they sought were on their way.

A thought occurred to Peach as they stood, and Peach put out her fire. "What are we going to do?" She asked. "How are we going to get them free?"

Kamek frowned, and Peach was struck with the thought that maybe he wasn't simply imperturbable. Maybe he had always simply been better at hiding it, and with whatever was bothering him had simply become less adept at keeping his feelings hidden. It was a disconcerting thought.

"We have no time for subtlety." He said at last. "We are too close to the castle." Her castle, Peach's home, she realized. It hurt her to think of home as a dangerous place. "It is likely we will succeed only in becoming captured ourselves." He said heavily. "But we must try. I will cause a distraction. You must get the other magikoopa free. They will probably be chained with magic blockers."

Peach frowned, trying to fight down the panic that was rising in her. "How am I supposed to do that?" She asked, her voice raising in pitch.

"Last night you brought something into existence from nothing." Kamek said evenly.

"So?" It was rude, Peach knew. But she didn't know what he wanted from her.

And it was too late to ask him. The group was upon them, and Kamek was straightening into a pose that was more of the Kamek Peach remembered. He no longer looked tired, or weak, but instead seemed once again the enigmatic magikoopa I remembered. He gave off an aura of power, of someone who was not to be trifled with.

He stepped into the path of the group, much to their confusion, while Peach tried desperately to figure out what to do. Something with magic? If you can make something out of nothing-

Can you make nothing out of something? Could she make the magic blockers disappear? It was possible. She shot a frantic look at Kamek. He had just started using whatever little magic he had left to start blasting their enemies. Peach felt a stab of pity for them, they couldn't help what they were being forced to do.

Peach forced her mind back to the task at hand. She darted in among the confusion, and found Anna. She knew what she was supposed to do, but doing it was something else entirely.

She hadn't done any of her magic on her own, Kamek had always been helping her. Could she do this by herself? Kamek obvoiusly thought she could-

Or had he decided there were simply no other options? He had said they simply end up being captured as well. Did that mean he didn't think she could do it? Had he asked anyway, knowing she wasn't capable of it?

Peach forced herself to ignore her doubts, and ignore the confusion around her, and even ignore Anna's hiss and demands to know what she thought she was doing here and focused on the manacles holding Anna back from doing her own magic.

She tried to visualize them disappearing, tried to visualize Anna's wrists free of the magic blockers. She fought back panic as it didn't work, reminding herself that it didn't just happen instantly for her like it did with Kamek. She focused even harder.

"What are you doing?" Anna demanded. Peach shook her head and didn't answer, trying to do what Kamek apparently expected her to be able to do. Anna looked up, and fear flashed in her eyes. "Princess-"

Something grabbed her from behind, and everything went dark.

Disclaimer: Mario and Nintendo and all that don't belong to me. I just took the liberty of being creative and changing things here and there.


	9. Chapter 9

Peach awakened in a dungeon. It was dark, and cold, and she was lying on a cold, stone, bed. She groaned and tried to remember what had happened.

"Peach?" Anna's voice sounded in the darkness.

"I'm here." She replied. Then she remembered. She had failed them. It was her fault they were all here. All because she hadn't been able to do what Kamek had asked of her. She had failed him too.

"Are you okay?" Toad was here as well. "If he hurt you-"

"I'm okay." She wondered if he was referring to Kamek or their captors. "I think someone hit me in the head." Her head did hurt, she realized.

"That jerk knocked you out." Iggy was here as well. "I bit him for you, though." He maintained, as if that made things even.

Was Kamek here? Peach wondered why she was frightened at the thought that he might not be. "Is-" She found herself unable to ask the question. She dreaded what answer she might receive.

"We might better be able to continue this discussion if we could see, Princess." Peach found herself surprisingly relieved. It didn't make sense that Kamek's presence should be reassuring, but it was, even as it caused her to feel guilty again.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "This is my fault."

"Don't be silly." Anna protested. "It's nothing of the sort."

She appreciated the words, but they made her feel worse. "I'm sorry I wasn't good enough." She said.

The words hung in the air as the others tried to figure out what she was talking about.

Kamek sighed. "It is I who should apologize, Princess." He said at last. "I pushed too much on you too suddenly. You were not ready."

"You didn't really have much choice." Peach argued into the darkness. "You took a chance."

"I hoped that as quickly as you were already learning, your self-confidence would be as quick to grow." He amended.

She frowned into the darkness, uncertain of exactly what he meant by that.

It was Toad who finally broke the silence. "So now what?" He asked.

Kamek sighed. "Now we leave. If we could have some light, Princess?" He had just asked her for light a second time, she realized.

"I don't know if I can." She said. "Wouldn't Anna-"

"Anna is being blocked, Princess."

"But-" She felt that familiar presence at her elbow. "Okay." She said, and again pictured her stone of light. It blossomed into existence.

"Peach-" The others stared at her in surprise. Anna recovered enough to ask, "You can do magic?"

"Kamek's been teaching me. I still need his help, though-" Kamek was across the cell, sitting against the wall. Then how had he-? Hadn't he been right beside her?

"Kamek's been teaching you?" Anna repeated, staring at her uncle, who had stood and was now moving to stand beside Peach.

"You do not need my help so much as you believe, Princess." He murmured quietly, to her alone. "Shall we set Anna free?"

Peach hesitated, and Kamek again rested his hand lightly on her elbow. She turned to Anna. "We're going to get rid of the magic-blockers." Peach explained, a bit nervously.

Anna nodded, and brought her hands forward. Peach focused on the handcuffs, trying to burn every detail into her mind. Then she slowly tried to let it fade into nothingness.

The handcuffs flickered, faded, flickered one last time, and disappeared. Anna gasped.

Iggy let out a hoot that was quickly cut off as Toad put a hand over his mouth. "Sorry." Iggy apologized when Toad let him go.

Kamek held out his own hands to Anna, who hesitated, looking at the floor and chewing her lip. "Okay." She finally said. The cuffs on his wrists too faded into nothingness.

Peach wondered if Anna realized she looked as if she were waiting for him to evaluate her work, or if Kamek were aware that he had nodded briskly in approval.

"Now what?" Iggy asked suddenly.

Kamek frowned. "Now we find Kaleth." He said wearily. Anna gasped and stared at him in utter terror.

Disclaimer: Super Mario Brothers does not belong to me.


	10. Chapter 10

"No." Anna whispered. "No. Not him." Kamek didn't reply. "But how?" She demanded. "How? You were keeping the pieces safe. No one could get them. How?"

Kamek sighed. "Kammy is a fool."

Anna frowned at him. "Kammy isn't _that_ stupid." She insisted. "To bring back _him_?"

"Kammy never paid attention to history. She never cared for anyone but herself."

"She thought she'd get rid of you." Anna realized. "She brought it to the attention of the Council. That's why you were banished!"

Kamek nodded. "Then she summoned him herself. You saw it." He said; it was not a question.

It did not occur to her to be surprised by this revelation. "I did not realize it was her." Anna said softly. "Or what she was doing." She stared at her uncle helplessly. "You have to stop him." She said.

Kamek shook his head. "I cannot."

"You have to!" Anna persisted. "You're Kamek. That's you! You can-"

"_I cannot!" _Though it was not a shout, it felt loud. Though he was not using magic, there was power behind the statement. Kamek stood straight, defiant, angry.

"I don't understand." Anna said at last. "You're the most powerful magikoopa of our time." Peach wasn't as surprised by that as she thought she should be. She had known Kamek was powerful, but…

Kamek shook his head. "I am not what I once was." He said softly.

Anna reached forward and took his hand. She glared at the mark on the back of it. "Just because the council banished you-" She stopped short, frowning.

"It is not the council." Kamek replied. "Surely you have seen it, Anna."

The magikoopa bit her lip. She pulled his hand closer to her and stared at his arm. Abruptly she drew back the sleeve and pointed at a small scar. "What is this?" She demanded. Her finger lightly traced the mark.

Kamek hissed and tried to jerk his arm back. It was a mark of how weak he actually was that Anna still held him.

"Kammy." The two spat. Kamek looked furious, and it frightened Peach.

She looked around. Actually, this frightened everyone. Even Anna had drawn back from the magikoopa.

Kamek let loose a snarl in some language, and Anna paled while Iggy clapped his hands over his mouth.

He noticed, and was instantly calm again, confirming Peach's theory that he was not simply imperturbable, but rather, normally unreadable.

Finally, Anna spoke. "You know the prophecy." She said softly. "You're the only one who _can_ do it."

He frowned, lost in thought, perhaps. "Very well." He said at last, heavily. "I will need your help, Anna."

She nodded. "What can I do?"

He almost smiled. "I have nothing left, Anna."

She frowned. "But you're going to use the amulet." She guessed. "Family heirloom. It stores magic." She added, for Peach's benefit. "But it reacts to magic, so he will need help drawing from it."

Peach hesitated. "I could help too." She offered. Anna smiled.

"It would make it easier." Anna admitted, stepping closer to Kamek and taking his right hand in her left. Peach stepped forward as well, Anna took her left hand, and Kamek took her right.

"Do not fight me, Princess." Kamek said wearily.

She felt his presence instantly. Anna's as well. His was weak, unsteady, hardly there at all.

Then she felt the pull. It didn't hurt, really, but it felt like it should have. He grew stronger, and she saw Anna grow weaker. She was growing weaker herself. The pull increased.

Kamek let go of both of them as he muttered something Peach could not understand. She staggered backwards, and nearly fell; Toad caught her before she did.

Kamek stood still, staring into the distance. Then he nodded, and was his old self again. Almost.

He nodded to them each in turn. "Teach her." He told Anna. "You are both ready."

Anna nodded, and Peach realized that this could very easily kill Kamek. He knew it, too.

He turned to Iggy. "Be careful." He warned.

Iggy burst into tears. It was the first time Peach had ever seen anyone in Bowser's family cry. It was also the first time the thought occurred to her that _anyone_ might actually like Kamek.

Kamek said nothing to Toad. Instead he merely bowed before turning to Peach.

"Thank you, Princess." He said softly. He reached forward and touched her lightly on the forehead. The skin felt funny there, for a minute, but the feeling quickly vanished.

Anna spoke. "We're staying here, aren't we?" She asked. Kamek nodded.

"Until the battle has ended. You will know." He answered before she could ask. Then he disappeared, with hardly a _snap_.

The four sat in silence for what seemed an eternity. None of them knew what to say. None of them wanted to say anything. They were tired, and confused, and uncertain what any of this meant.

"How will we know when the battle is done?" Anna finally asked. Peach didn't know. Iggy had fallen asleep in her lap, and Toad had begun to doze off as well.

"He said we would know." She offered.

Anna sighed. "I just don't understand him." She said, glaring at the floor. "He just doesn't make any sense. Ever."

The castle rumbled. Peach wondered if that were the sign they were waiting for. She wondered, too, why she was so tired. She blinked, her eyelids heavy. She would close her eyes, she decided, just for a minute.

Disclaimer: The world of Mario does not belong to me.


	11. Chapter 11

Peach yawned as she opened her eyes. She wondered why she was in her bed. Then she wondered why she would wake up anywhere else. It wasn't like Bowser had kidnapped her recently or anything.

Actually, things had been strangely quiet for a while. Peach hoped that didn't mean they were due for another attempt soon.

She went to breakfast, wondering why her head felt funny and why she kept expecting koopalings to appear out of nowhere.

Anna met her there, a puzzled look on her face. "Morning." Peach greeted the magikoopa.

She thought of Kamek for some reason.

"Morning." Anna replied uncertainly.

"Is something wrong?" Peach asked. Anna shook her head.

"No." She said slowly. "At least, I'm pretty sure nothing's wrong." She frowned. "But something seems off."

"I know what you mean." Peach replied with a laugh. "Maybe you're just having an off day. Everybody has those now and again."

"Maybe." Anna agreed. "I had this really weird dream last night." She commented. Peach's heart skipped a beat.

"What was it about?" She asked, trying to understand why a dream would affect her so. She felt as if she were waiting for something, something that had never happened.

Anna shrugged. "I don't remember, but it was really weird."

"Oh." Peach said, pushing away the feeling that she was missing something important.

Everything was fine.

Disclaimer: The world of Mario does not belong to me.


End file.
